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Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 4:57 pm
by Áthas
Gosh, this thread made me laugh. I was just talking about that with someone today when we were having coffee. She (Mrs. P., the person I was having coffee with), read the Narnia books and also seems to have read quite a bit about C. S. Lewis. I told her about the trilogy and described the Fairy to her, especially the situation when she interrogates Jane and burns her with cigarettes (or is it the cheroot?). And - wait for it - Mrs. P. is a psychiatric doctor! I'm certain that from the perspective of a psychiatric doctor, there is a lot to say, not only about the Fairy. It might also be interesting to analyze how and where C. S. Lewis got the idea of creating such a character - not sure if it's only the whole fairy-tale thing.

I kind of imagined the Fairy to act out her sado-masochistic desires when interrogating Jane. Kind of funny that something like that comes from me because I'm absolutely against seeing sexuality behind every action, but somehow, it seems to fit.

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 4:59 pm
by Áthas
PS: Somehow, the Fairy fascinates me too - although I wouldn't ever want our paths to cross if she was alive. maybe seeing her from a safe distance and watching her for a day would be interesting!

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 6:53 pm
by galion
I'm absolutely against seeing sexuality behind every action,

As the man nearly said, sometimes a cheroot is just a cheroot.

Regarding where Lewis got the idea from: well, we know that he had a vivid imagination, especially in the sado-masocistic line, which is one reason why I regard "The Dark Tower" as more likely than not to be authentic, but still there were several real-life women around who would have provided at least a partial model (I named one at the beginning of this thread), and given that THS was published in 1943, if he'd waited a couple of years he'd have got plenty of material to show that in comparison the Fairy was ... a pussy-cat?

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 7:16 pm
by Áthas

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 8:01 pm
by galion
I should really have qualified that reference to sado-masochism. In his correspondence with his great friend Arthur Greeves (a gay Christian - it's not just North America in the 21st century) he admits to mild s-m fantasies - not uncommon for those who underwent an education in Britain's public (i.e. private) scholls at the time, where beating with a cane or a birch was a regular occurrence. But that's it. I don't think it was anything more than a very minor part of hos personality.

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 8:02 pm
by galion
Please excuse typos in above. :snow-cry:

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 8:26 pm
by Áthas

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 10:29 pm
by galion
I think that part of what attracted the Fairy about Jane was her (relative) innocence. The challenge of corrupting, or at least damaging, that innocence would stimulate somebody evil. And anyway, a lot of people (like the Fairy) just like hurting people. They get a kick out of it. They go to bed feeling warm and fulfilled.

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 10:38 pm
by john

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 10:43 pm
by galion
Sorry, guv - not yet used to new format. :snow-blush:

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 10:52 pm
by Áthas

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 11:07 pm
by john

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 11:17 pm
by galion

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 10th, 2008, 11:53 pm
by Áthas

Re: The Fairy

PostPosted: December 11th, 2008, 12:29 am
by galion
I think you may be right on the sexual front, without going into any further detail :snow-rolleyes: . But that's at least partly what a lot of folk get out of torture, as well as the pleasure of dominating and humiliating - I'm in charge, and you are powerless to resist me. You are do0ing my will. See "Nineteen Eighty Four", which has some things in common with THS (just 5 years apart in publication dates).

1 a.m. in Germany? Heck, it's only 00:30 here in Britain - the night is young!! I'm really going for zzzzz